Chapter 168 The Shadow of the Past

Chapter 168 The Shadow of the Past
Our pack soldiers suddenly burst through the hall, and the celebration immediately came to a stop.

They looked exhausted and frightened, with blood smeared across their clothes. One of them was holding his hand tightly, and I could see blood pouring from a deep cut that looked as though it had been made with a sword.

The peaceful atmosphere that had filled the hall only moments ago disappeared instantly.

Everyone stood up in confusion.

Kieran rose from his seat, while Victor and Silas also moved forward to see what had happened. The music stopped, and the people who had been dancing quickly moved away from the center of the hall.

My heart started beating rapidly in my chest.

I looked at the soldiers, trying to understand what had happened.

“What’s happening?” Kieran asked.

One of the soldiers stepped forward, breathing heavily. He held his injured hand close to his body, but the blood continued running down his arm.

“Alpha Kieran, we are under attack,” he said in panic.

The words immediately caused another wave of fear throughout the hall.

People began talking among themselves, asking questions and trying to understand what was going on. Some of the guests moved closer together, while others looked toward the entrance as if they expected more soldiers to come rushing through.

Kieran's expression became serious.

“Who attacked us?” he asked.

Before anyone could answer, the noise in the hall became louder.

“Silence!” Victor yelled.

His voice was loud enough to make everyone stop talking.

The hall became quiet again, and Victor looked directly at the injured soldiers.

“Who is behind all of this?” he asked.

The soldier swallowed hard before answering.

“It is Alpha Alex. They are standing outside the gate with one thousand soldiers.”

The moment I heard Alex's name, my whole body froze.

For a few seconds, I couldn't move.

It felt as though all the excitement I had felt only moments ago had disappeared completely. My coronation had just taken place. I had finally become Kieran's Luna, and everyone had been celebrating with us.

And now Alex was here.

I knew he wasn't done with us.

My hands began to shake, and I felt as though I was about to faint. I couldn't believe he had actually chosen today to attack.

Of all days, he had to choose today.

I stood up from my seat, panicking slightly.

Kieran seemed to notice immediately.

He walked toward me and took both of my hands in his. His touch was warm, but I could still feel the fear spreading through me.

He looked directly into my eyes.

“Don't worry. I'm going to handle this,” he said.

His words were meant to comfort me, and I knew he was trying to make me feel safe, but instead of calming down, I became even more frightened.

Alex knew exactly what he was doing.

He had waited until my biggest day to attack.

He wanted to ruin everything.

I knew him well enough to understand that he wouldn't simply stop because Kieran asked him to. He had already made it clear that he wanted to cause problems between us, and now he had brought an entire army to our gates.

I looked at Kieran, still holding his hands.

I wanted to believe that everything would be fine, but I couldn't stop thinking about what Alex might do next.

Not long after, Victor turned toward the soldiers.

“Prepare all the soldiers and assemble them. They should block the entrance of the gate,” he ordered.

“Yes, Alpha,” one of the soldiers answered.

The soldiers quickly turned around and ran out of the hall.

Everyone was still panicking.

The Alphas who had been sitting peacefully only moments ago were now talking among themselves, clearly trying to figure out what they should do. Some of them looked toward Kieran, waiting for him to give them instructions.

Kieran suddenly stepped forward.

“Everyone, calm down.”

His voice was firm.

The conversations gradually became quieter until everyone was listening to him.

He looked around the hall, his expression filled with anger.

“You see, you could see that Alex is the one trying to cause a rift. Everyone is on their own, and Alex has started to barge into my pack to cause trouble,” Kieran yelled in anger, telling the Alphas who were sitting there.

“We understand you, Alpha Kieran,” one of the Alphas sitting in the VIP royal section said as he stepped forward. He carried himself with confidence, looking around the hall before turning his attention back to Kieran.

“Alex has crossed all his limits. He has crossed the line. For years, we kept thinking maybe that was just how he was, being a snitch and causing trouble wherever he went. But today, he has proved us right. He is someone who is dangerous, and we are going to fight with you.”

The other Alphas nodded in agreement.

I looked around the hall, watching as several of them exchanged determined looks. Some of them were already speaking quietly to one another, as if they were preparing themselves for whatever was about to happen.

Seeing their support gave me a little hope.

Maybe we weren't alone.

Maybe Alex had finally pushed too far, and the people around us were willing to stand against him.

I took a small breath, trying to calm myself down.

But then the door to the throne room suddenly burst open.

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

My heart immediately dropped.

Alex stood there.

He was clad entirely in black, and his clothes looked as though he had just come from a fight. His expression was cold, and there was blood dripping from the sword in his hand.

I stared at him in disbelief.

How did he get past the soldiers?

We had just been told that our soldiers were blocking the entrance, yet Alex was standing right inside the hall.

My fear returned immediately.

Without thinking, I moved behind Kieran, using him to shield myself as I felt fear tighten in my chest. I didn't want Alex anywhere near me. After everything he had done, seeing him standing there with a blood-covered sword was enough to make my entire body tense.

Kieran stood firmly in front of me.

“Alex, what is this?” the older Alpha asked, his voice booming across the hall. “Why did you barge into my pack like this?”

Alex didn't answer immediately.

He swung the sword over his shoulder and began walking toward us.

His footsteps echoed through the hall as he approached, but strangely, none of the three Alphas standing near Kieran moved away or showed any sign of fear.

They simply stood there and watched him.

I couldn't understand how they could remain so calm.

Alex finally stopped a short distance away from us.

“I’m sorry, Alpha,” he said, addressing Kieran's father. His voice sounded almost polite, which made the situation even more uncomfortable. “Well, your sons are making things harder for me. I just told them something simple: give me back my wife.”

My stomach twisted at his words.

Wife?

He still called me his wife as though nothing had changed.

Victor suddenly stepped forward.

“Be serious. She is no longer your wife. You sold her off. You signed a contract. So why are you going back on your word?”

Alex shrugged as though Victor's words didn't bother him.

“Well, the contract we signed was for you to kill her, not to save her and keep her as your bride, which is against the law,” he said.

I felt my hands tighten.

He was trying to twist everything around.

He had agreed to the contract, but now that I was alive and with Kieran, he suddenly wanted to claim me again.

Alex's expression became colder.

“So if you do not give her back to me, there will be war. And when I mean war, I mean serious war. I’m going to kill all your people.”

A wave of fear moved through the hall.

Some of the guests looked at each other, while others stared directly at Alex. I could hear people whispering, but nobody dared to interrupt him.

I remained behind Kieran, my heart beating rapidly.

How could he say something like that so calmly?

He was threatening an entire pack because he wanted me back.

“You took a fight from your pack to Alpha Kieran's pack,” an Alpha suddenly said from the other side of the hall. He sounded confident as he looked at Alex. “Do you think you would survive, or do you think you would win?”

Alex turned his head toward him.

For a moment, he simply stared at the Alpha before shrugging.

“And win?” he asked.

His expression remained completely calm.

“I do not plan on winning. I just plan on killing anyone who tries to stop me from collecting my bride.”